Candidate Profile: Robyn Vining For State Assembly District 14

Robyn Vining, a Wauwatosa resident is running for State Assembly District 14.

Age: 43
Party affiliation: Democratic Party
Family:I adore my husband and two kids.
Occupation:Photographer and small business owner, 10+ years
Previous elected experience:Wisconsin State Representative - 14th Assembly District
Family members in government:No
Campaign website: https://www.robynforwi.com

The single most pressing issue facing our state is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.
Healthcare. Healthcare in Wisconsin should be accessible, affordable, and high quality. In my first term in the State Assembly, I introduced and supported legislation to expand Medicaid, lower the cost of prescription drugs, and improve maternal and infant health outcomes.

No family should have to make the impossible choice between buying their life-saving medication or paying for groceries. I introduced legislation to make epinephrine, like EpiPens, more affordable and accessible, and supported legislation to improve transparency of prescription drug costs.

I support legislation to improve maternal and infant health outcomes and reduce health outcome disparities for women and babies of color. I introduced the Pregnancy Protection Act to ensure the coverage of maternity and newborn care in Wisconsin. I supported the Healthy Women, Healthy Babies initiatives in Governor Evers’ proposed budget last budget cycle, which included funding for doula training and Medicaid reimbursement for doula services, extending Medicaid coverage postpartum to one-year, and expanding the Well Women Program.

The people of Wisconsin want Medicaid expansion because it is the moral and fiscally responsible decision. The cost of private premiums purchased on the marketplace will go down with Medicaid expansion, and if we do not expand Medicaid, over the next two years Wisconsin will spend $2 billion on paying for Medicaid expansion in other states. It’s time to bring our federal tax dollars home to support the people of Wisconsin.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?
I represent the people of my district and provide an authentic voice that is responsive to their needs. Special interests don’t care about epi access, but I do. Special interests don’t care about universal changing tables, but I do. Special interests don’t care about fair maps, protecting our first responders, or healthcare heroes during the pandemic, but I do. I am the candidate who’s fighting for my neighbors and my community — not outside special interest groups.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?
I am the incumbent for this district. In my first term as a State Representative, I have introduced legislation to create Fair Maps for fair representation, support small businesses with an online web resource portal, provide support to foster care children and adoption programs, ensure health care coverage for maternity and newborn care, improve the cost and access of epinephrine, make the world more accessible with Universal Changing Tables, and more. Even in the currently hyper-partisan version of Madison, the majority of the legislation I have introduced has been bipartisan, and I enjoy working with my colleagues across the aisle on these important issues. I have co-authored and co-sponsored over 200 bills and resolutions in my first term. I serve as a member of the Committees on Health, Children & Families, Small Business Development, and Financial Institutions, in addition to the Assembly Task Force on Adoption. I have met with constituents across the district, on their doorsteps, in coffee shops, town halls, and at events around our communities to listen to what matters to them.

What steps should state government take to bolster economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic for local businesses?
When the worldwide pandemic entered Wisconsin, I immediately began work behind the scenes on behalf of small businesses and sole proprietors and independent contractors, because as a small business owner, I knew they were likely to take hard hits. We need to provide the needed support to these small businesses because they are the backbone of our economy and our communities. I will continue to fight for our small businesses until our economy has recovered. We also know that economic recovery is only possible through a strong public health response, as public health and the economy are inextricably linked. We need to expand and encourage testing and contact tracing efforts, and ensure that businesses, communities, and our partners in healthcare have access to appropriate PPE. We need to continue encouraging the wearing of face masks in public spaces, especially businesses, because it protects the customers and the employees.

How will you address the calls for racial justice and police reform?
I am especially concerned about racial disparities among maternal and infant mortality rates for Black women and infants, and I have initiated, and support, legislation and initiatives to improve birth and health outcomes for Black mothers and babies. I believe housing is healthcare, and housing discrimination and homelessness impacts residents and families of color at a higher rate.

I support affordable housing and efforts to reduce homelessness, such as employment opportunities with living wages and addressing inequities in eviction courts. I support promoting equity in the education system, from pre-school to higher education. We need to restore crucial investments in our public education system, and provide opportunities to students of color so they can succeed. I support making crucial reforms to our criminal justice system and improving policing accountability and transparency, to reduce and eliminate pervasive police brutality and disparities in incarceration. I support funding violence prevention and interruption programs such as the 414 Blueprint for Peace in Milwaukee and the Office for Violence Prevention.

List other issues that define your campaign platform:
Education - I will continue to fight to adequately fund our schools. Wisconsinites have long recognized that strong public education benefits everyone. I will work to restore the Wisconsin Idea of providing high quality education to all of our citizens. Investing in our public education system is investing in the future of Wisconsin. What’s best for our kids is best for our state. We spent the last 2 years beginning to restore Wisconsin’s historic tradition of strong public schools, and investing in crucial programs like special education and mental health services, but we have a long way to go. And if the Democrats lose a single seat this cycle, public schools are likely to face significant funding challenges in the 2021 budget. I’ve fought for federal funding to assist our local schools in the wake of COVID-19, and I will continue to fight for that funding as the country recovers from this devastating pandemic.

Good government - Wisconsinites deserve a fair and transparent government. My first piece of legislation that I worked on when I got to Madison was to create a non-partisan redistricting commission, removing the ability for the people in power to use that power to protect their own jobs, and their own political party’s power. I achieved 5x as many bipartisan co-sponsors than the last session for this legislation, and I will keep fighting for the voters to pick their politicians, instead of the politicians picking their voters! The people of Wisconsin deserve fair maps.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?
I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished together these past two years. It’s been an honor to represent the 14th District, to listen to and work for the stories and hopes of my constituents, and I’m committed to continuing to fight for you and all Wisconsin families as if you're my own. May we together cast a bigger vision for our future.